Blackstone Code-Chapter 622: The Last Time

After returning from the palace, Lynch called Mr. Truman.

Out of respect for the Federation and diplomacy, the phone line at the Federation’s embassy in Gephra was secure—meaning it wasn’t tapped. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Of course, that was just a formality. The Gephra people probably started eavesdropping the moment the line connected. Phones were used only when there was nothing confidential to discuss.

Most of the time, embassy staff used the phone to order food or call services—which were legal in Gephra and subject to high taxes. Such spending by Federation citizens contributed positively to Gephra’s economy.

If confidential matters arose, they used encrypted telegrams with regularly changed codes. Outside wartime, no one wasted effort breaking these frequently updated, low-value codes.

Lynch’s conversation with Truman contained no secrets; even if Gephra listened, no serious harm would come of it.

“I’m curious—what kind of person is the Emperor of Gephra? I’ve never met him or spoken face-to-face. I heard he has a bad temper,” Truman said with a hint of curiosity and teasing. Things were going well now, so he was in a good mood.

As the Federation’s future main rival, Truman had first proposed the theory of sustained confrontation to the president and defense ministry based on Lynch’s ideas. The core was to create a strong external enemy for the Federation.

When the Federation prospered and internal conflicts were mild, this enemy wouldn’t disrupt normal thinking or provoke hatred.

But when troubles and internal conflicts peaked, this external enemy would serve its true purpose.

Everyone knows the easiest way to end internal strife quickly is to unite against a powerful external threat. For survival and the interests of the powerful, society would set aside differences temporarily and unite. That’s the role of an external enemy.

Normally, this enemy also provides a goal to spur progress, preventing societal complacency. Officials might even exaggerate the enemy’s achievements to create a sense of crisis.

Gephra was the Federation’s greatest imagined enemy. Federation leadership and defense accepted this concept. As a key government figure and trusted advisor to the president, Truman wanted to know what kind of man their “enemy leader” was.

“I don’t have much impression—our contact was too brief for an objective judgment. Subjectively, he seems like a decent man,” Lynch replied warmly, his voice smooth and magnetic, making even unpleasant truths easier to accept. “Maybe it’s because he accepted all my conditions. By the way, there’s something I need to tell you first…”

“What is it?”

“I’ve become a noble.”

Truman was silent for over ten seconds, then asked curiously, “What did you do?”

He knew the Emperor of Gephra had the power to confer nobility; Lynch becoming a noble meant the emperor had granted it.

Truman wondered how Lynch pleased the emperor enough to be ennobled—a seemingly unlikely event. But this was Gephra, a monarchy where the emperor’s will ruled over state, people, and law. If ministers did not oppose, his will was supreme.

Lynch chuckled, “I think he did it mostly to spite me—and to spite you.”

He briefly explained.

When the emperor asked what price would secure lasting safety in Amellia, Lynch set three conditions:

First, allow the Blackstone Group to legally conduct military business in Amellia—this was the foundation for stability.

Second, Federation citizens in Amellia must have rights and duties equal to Gephra citizens, with the local government ensuring their personal and property safety.

Third, redeem the bonds Lynch held.

These demands were effectively no demands. The first two were natural rights. Maybe before the war, Gephra dared to pressure the Federation on such social issues, but after the naval war, the Federation earned Gephra’s respect—mainly because Gephra couldn’t defeat the Federation.

Harming Federation citizens foolishly would worsen bilateral tensions. Gephra didn’t want to waste effort on military conflict before World War II. Retreat and tolerance were reasonable.

The third was already planned, just accelerated and announced. The emperor barely hesitated, forgetting the finance minister’s earlier objections to suspending redemptions.

After hearing Lynch’s conditions, the emperor likely found them too simple or liked Lynch, so he granted him the title of baron of the Gephra Empire.

The lowest noble rank, but still noble. This news would be publicized alongside the results of the current bilateral negotiations.

“He wants us to watch you closely,” Truman said with a smile after hearing Lynch’s description. “But clearly, he doesn’t understand our situation well. I’ll brief the president and other departments in advance.”

Lynch thanked Truman for his goodwill and approach—that was why he had told him.

Though the emperor agreed to all Lynch’s terms, he also set a trap. Coupled with Lynch’s comment that he was a decent man, an image of a duplicitous emperor using schemes clearly formed in Truman’s mind.

After briefly discussing next steps, they ended the call. Lynch’s work was far from done; he still needed to negotiate costs with others.

Using Blackstone’s security services would cost money. How much and how to pay required careful discussion.

Meanwhile, Mr. Herbes had returned to the Federation and completed the handover of paperwork.

He looked more exhausted than in Gephra. To secure a 10 billion Valier cash loan, he mortgaged nearly everything he could.

Though he had good relations with the Golden Exchange Bank’s top officials and had cooperated on short-term international currency loans before, this time he felt blatant hostility—no attempt to hide it.

He owned a villa halfway up Eminence valued near three million, with strong potential for appreciation. Even today, he could easily sell it for two million with a slight price cut.

But the bank’s appraisal was just over one million—less than 50% of market value.

The bank’s professional appraiser claimed the villa’s style and layout were outdated, new owners would likely demolish and rebuild, and they found a termite infestation. In short, it was unsellable at full price.

Similar situations existed elsewhere. In another neutral country, he had a large estate valued around seven million, but the bank appraised it at just over two million, citing old, unsafe buildings.

They pressed the valuation too hard.

Herbes suspected Lynch manipulated the banking process, but given the situation, he had no choice.

He could get a better price selling himself, but lacked the time. He had to mortgage everything to the bank.

He pledged all he could, priced the deal at 42 million, signed the contract, and received 10 billion Valier in cash.

About one-tenth of the money was to be repaid to others; the remaining nine billion would be sold in batches to international speculation groups at a price of 27.5 million Federation Sols each.

After the Valier currency completely collapsed, he planned to buy back the Valier with that money, repay Lynch, pay some interest, and reclaim his collateral, netting a profit of about 24 million.

With that 24 million as a safety net, he could recover most of the losses from previous contracts. Even if he lost a few million or tens of millions more, it wouldn’t matter—he could cover that by selling some assets.

This was his entire plan. He wasn’t sure if Lynch lending him money had a trap, but whether or not it did, he had no choice.

Watching the bank staff load the money into containers, guarded by numerous police and bodyguards en route to the port, he had already booked the freighter. Armed escorts would protect the shipment on the high seas, and once the money arrived, it could be shipped out.

But an unexpected problem arose at this stage, which he had never considered before.

The Federation banned this shipment of money from leaving the port, citing procedural issues.